I’ve been reading and watching segments regarding Miley Cyrus’s lack of judgment in a series of photographs she had taken for the magazine Vanity Fair, and I have to say I’m rather shocked at the publics’ backlash for her tastefully done photographs.

We as a society tell young girls her age or younger that it’s ok to dress in a fashion that Miley is now being criticized for. In an artistically taken picture of her father with her lying on his lap as well as a few other pictures, I’ve heard over and over that she bared her midriff. People she’s wearing AGE APPROPRIATE clothing for her generation. Clothing that we as a society allow our daughters to wear to school, out to public functions, trips to the mall without thinking twice and now we would condemn her for wearing clothing that our children wear? Shame on YOU!

Miley is a product of the Disney machine, now while Disney pays lip service to worrying about Miley and the possibility that Vanity Fair took advantage of her, the truth of the matter here is they are trying to protect their investment. Miley carries the weight of a successful show Hannah Montana on her 15 year old shoulders, this includes but is not limited to; the television show, massive merchandising, concerts and various other avenues. They are worried about the possibility of losing revenue if the star of their show no longer is attractive to parents with young children who idolize this young lady.

Now I’m going to point something out, IF you have a young child, perhaps you should point them into AGE appropriate shows. I’ve seen many a segment where parents of children who are three and four, who are stating their disappointment regarding Mileys’ behavior. Three and four year olds shouldn’t be watching Hannah Montana; they should be watching shows that are suited for their age such as Dora the Explorer and Sesame Street.

Also lumped in with the outcry of Mileys photographs is her behavior on various sites such as MySpace and YouTube. I think people forget that she’s a teenager and bound to do the same things that any teenager would do. Yes I know she’s an Idol to many children, however this is why children have parents. To trash her for doing things that a normal teenager can be found doing is at anytime is wrong and inappropriate, a responsible parent should be monitoring what his or her child watches on television, looks at online or reads in a magazine.

So let’s remember that we didn’t have the mediums available to us that Miley has to her in our day; however we were once teenagers prone to making mistakes and learning life’s lessons the hard way.

We as Americans have been spoiled. For years we’ve given no thought to driving huge vehicles that consume vast amounts of gasoline in comparison to the miles we achieve from each gallon of gas we pump into our tanks. Now as gas prices steadily climb upwards to the 4 dollar mark and even higher, we are having heart failure over the prices we are paying at the pump.

With OPEC choosing not to open more wells to satisfy our need for more fuel, we are left with a few choices, one: downsize our vehicle to one that is more fuel efficient, two: utilize public transportation, or three: suck it up and pay the exorbitant cost per gallon of gas that we’re being hit with at the pump.

I chose option one, driving what I often call my grocery car, a little Toyota Tercel, I’m able to eek out about 35 mpg city and 40 mpg on the hwy. I commute less than 8 miles each way to work and try not to drive often on weekends, which will allow me to stretch a tank of gas often times for two or three weeks.

In a conversation with a dear friend in the U.K., we were discussing gasoline prices, petrol for you brits, at the time when we did the math they were paying the equivalent of 8 dollars per gallon, it’s no wonder they drive tiny cars, take public modes of transpiration and even on occasion feel the need to hoof it. I would too if I had to pay that kind of money for gas.

I think its fool hearty of us to believe that gas prices will go down. I remember when I paid 99 cents for a gallon of gas in 1987, I thought that it was expensive then, as prices have risen while they might dip back down for a few months they go back up, in effect lining the pockets of the gas companies, those they lobby and those they buy the raw crude from.

It’s time for us as a nation to stop whining about the prices of gasoline and start taking the steps to finding and utilizing alternative fuel sources, lets give the auto makers a reason to build and market vehicles that will in the long run only benefit us as individuals.

This weekend was one of the hottest in Southern California recent history. With nine cities breaking their records, Anaheim was 102 degrees f tying with Phoenix Az as the hottest city in the world. Sweltering would be a fine word to sum up the feeling.

I finally broke down and hopped in our pool trying to cool down, while the air temperature was hot, the water was freezing. Our pool heats up as we go into summer by absorbing heat from the sun during the day, it takes several days for this to happen. Two days of hot weather does not heat the pool enough to warrant any sane adult jumping in to swim.

I have to laugh, for some reason the kids in my complex are pros at coaxing me from my warm home into the pool, each year they get me to slip into the cold water to swim about with them. I should get the hint that the pool is freezing when a good portion of the kids have lower lips trembling with the shivers, but like an eager beaver I jump in then have a moment of near panic at the freezing temperature. Yes, I agree my sanity should be questioned when it comes to pool time, but there is something so refreshing about sliding into what feels like sub zero water when the air around you feels like the inside of an oven.

As spring turns into summer, I know I’ll be diving into the pool more often than not and I hope as time flies by that the water will heat to near bath water temperatures.

Here’s to hoping!

Have a great Monday!

Kat

A good friend of mine is in the banking/mortgage industry and sent me the following information:

Just a Heads Up !!!!

So we had our year end meeting with attorneys, investors, brokers, and our bankers just last week, and wrapped up today.

One of the things that stuck in my head from these meetings that I thought I would pass on to you all is:  As you all know the market is NOT at its best and will be getting even worse before getting any better.

Three Big mortgages banks and/or online firms have just gone under.  Due to bad mortgages, home loans, home equity loans & lines of credit, Washington Mutual will be closing out in 6 months or so. It may be taken over by other banks; the future is unclear at this point.

The big banks now will be B of A, Wells Fargo, City Bank, and Union Bank of California. ING Direct is still going strong and will be as told by our investor’s and banker’s. (We bank with 5 banks. Our stocks are held at Smith & Barney. Didn’t want you all to think we received this information from just one person in the industry.)

Use this information as you wish, the best thing for you to do now is to start looking into other banking institutes.

Good Luck!

I know how hard it is to deal with a bank being closed by the FDIC due to the massive defaulting of mortgages. I speak from the experience of having my former bank Netbank close in such a fashion. It’s a shock and while yes you’re insured by the FDIC to 100k, it’s hardly a consolation when you go to log on and see a public service announcement that your bank has been closed. While you might in time get to take your money out of the bank and/or gain your insurance money back, on the whole the experience is not one I’d recommend. It might behoove you to open up a second checking account in another bank outside of Washington Mutual as an additional backup.

I thought I’d pass this along to everyone, with the banking and mortgage industry being as volatile as it is at the moment, it might be beneficial to you, my savvy reader to look into the performance of WaMu as your bank.

~Kat

After reading the Grand Juries report on the Orange County Jail system, I sit back and wonder why that the issues the Orange County Sheriffs Office are facing were not dealt with as they happened. Why did it take the unfortunate death of a prisoner and the subsequent grand jury findings to bring to light the major issues that are happening within this jail system? Why was this not handled by the interim Sheriff LONG before it got to the point where he is now doing damage control and trying to explain his lack of action. I believe that putting people on administrative leave was a knee jerk reaction and in response to the Grand Jury’s findings. It’s just too little to late. It should never have taken the death of someone to spur the interim Sheriff into action, for that I say Shame on you Interim Sheriff Anderson, for not listening to your deputies, and opening your eyes beyond what you chose to see.

In each jail they have an administrative staff, who are responsible for overseeing the jails operations. So I have to ask why is it that when someone voices a concern, the administration will shelve the issue and not address and correct it at the time. With the Grand Jury finding that deputies are using their time to chat online, text message, sleep and watch television while not doing their job and putting both other guards and prisoners at risk, why is it the jail administrators have not reprimanded those who are not doing their jobs? You can not tell me that there have not been deputies who have voiced concerns with the jail system, only to be reprimanded or transferred because the administrators of a particular jail do not want to face the facts, perhaps the administrators should stop burring their heads in the preverbal sand, they should listen to those who are walking the jail beat, otherwise how can they have a true vision of what is going on down in the jail trenches.

When you work in the private sector, if you are found misusing the companies’ funds, equipment, or sleeping while you should be working, you are sure to find yourself OUT of a job. Then why is it ok for those deputies to be as we would term it LAZY. Is it because they feel that due to their time on they should be allowed to sit back and just collect a paycheck? The sad thing is those who are being lazy and not doing their jobs just don’t care, they are getting paid and that’s all that matters. It gives those deputies who do work hard at their jobs a bad name and reputation. People this is your tax dollar at work.

It was common knowledge through the law enforcement community that the former Sheriff Mike Carona was a substandard sheriff, with little or no regard for those who worked under him to uphold the law. It’s also well known that Interim Sheriff Anderson was one of Former Sheriff Carona’s “Golden Children”, a hand picked lackey put into place because he did his job by being a yes man. Now that Carona is no longer Sheriff, the interim Sheriff has his plate full, hopefully he will become proactive and face the issues at hand instead of letting them fester to the point where another person is hurt.

IF you want change then it should start from the top with someone who actually listens to what the people in his department are saying, someone who will be proactive in his approach of dealing with the jail system. Yes we all know change takes time, but the question then is how many more have to die before the interim sheriff actually steps up, stepping up when the cameras are on does no one any good nor does it bring back the lives lost in the jails that ultimately he is responsible for.

A new fulltime sheriff would be a good beginning, change will not happen until something is done there. The interim Sheriff can talk tough to the media all he want, he can try and establish policies, but those who work under him will not take as much heed to changes made as they would to someone who’s going to be with them long term.

In the orange county register I was reading through an article regarding the death of inmate at the Santa Ana jail and was surprised to see the reporter compare the Orange County Jail System with that of the Los Angeles County Jail System. No jail system is free of flaws, however it’s the handling of issues and the willingness to see what is going on by the upper echelon that makes a jail system what it is. It is regretful that people have to lose their lives in jail, however while we hear what the news has to say about the current situation, where were they as trouble happened, did they report it or do they just sit back, only to glamorize and sensationalize the current going ons.

I agree that there needs to be change in the Orange County Jail System, but instead of punishing those who actually care about their jobs and the welfare of the prisoners they deal with daily, administration should listen when deputies voice their concerns to superiors and address them, not sweep them under the rug until such time as something as sad as a death occurs. Until those who are running the jail system, actually do their job, there will be no change in sight.

[In response to discussion regarding the behaviors of children in today's society. The discussion was spurred by the article involving the group of 3rd grade children that had conspired to attack their teacher.]

It’s a simple matter of a balance of fear, and repercussions….kids today have nothing to fear anymore.

Look at it objectively…kids can literally get away with murder. They can divorce their parents, or call protective services any time they don’t get dessert with dinner, and it’s the parents that get grilled. Even if they figure out it was the kid at fault, what really can they do to them? Nada, and the kids know this.

Kids also know that they can not only disobey, disrespect, and ignore their teachers, but they can also threaten and attack them, as the teachers cannot do anything to them, nor can they protect themselves for fear of litigation. Kids figured that out a long time ago, folks.

Kids aren’t afraid of anything anymore, because they know there really isn’t any repercussion for what they do. Adults, however, have to live in the constant fear of litigation, potential legal punishment, public scorn, should they do ANYthing to get the kids back into line.

Kids aren’t even afraid of law enforcement anymore because they know the justice system will take the “precious little angles that just need love” approach and they’ll get off with less than a slap on the hand.

Kids KNOW that the counseling and psychiatric community have imposed their “delicate little snowflake” mentality on everyone, so much so that everyone is afraid of wounding their inner child. *NEWSFLASH*……they don’t have an inner child yet, because they are still children themselves! Protecting an abstract concept in favor of properly guiding, disciplining, and teaching a child is abject nonsense.

The simple fact is that children learn and grow through testing boundaries, and this country has all but eliminated them. Yet, people are shocked when kids act out like this, thinking it must be something in the water. It isn’t…..it’s an amalgamation of things:

-The misinterpretation that children must be coddled at all costs as if they’re somehow the next savior….they aren’t…..they crap their pants, eat their boogers, play in mud, and generally act like idiots just like we did when we were kids. We’re animals’ folks…with higher cognitive capabilities, but animals, nonetheless.

- A legal system that has effectively taken away the ability of a parent to discipline or rein their children in when they need it, and have provided no substitute in exchange. Oh, and before anyone out there suggests that I’m all about beating the hell out of a child….stow it…I’m not saying take a bat to a kid….but I’m sure as hell saying that children can be taught that there is a price to be paid for behavior that’s over the line. A spanked ass is just that….a spanked ass…people that make it out to be more than it is are simpering turds. I have yet to find the human being that has suffered deep emotional scarring due to a spanking…not a beating….a spanking.

- An educational system that has gelded its instructors to the point that they fear for their lives. I won’t digress into the “when I was a kid” speech, but there was a time when teachers had the authority to handle a situation, and didn’t have to fear litigation or dismissal after the fact if it was warranted. Granted, there are always those examples of teachers that go too far…beating a child with an umbrella, for example…is inexcusable. I will add an exception to this area. If a child has taken it upon themselves to attack a teacher, then I say “game on”. No human being has the right to attack another one, regardless of age, and if the victim of the attack has the means to defend themselves, then they should. Teachers idly standing by while a student throws a desk at them, flies in the face of natural selection. If I were the instructor, and had a desk hurled my way, that kid would be knocked on his ass…and the legal, media, psychological, and educational communities should applaud their teachers for defending themselves, instead of punishing them for potentially upsetting the ‘delicate little snowflake’. If a kid can’t respect his fellow students enough to allow them to learn, and try to learn themselves, then a teacher should have every right to kick them out of class until they straighten up. Teachers shouldn’t be held hostage because they’re afraid of insulting the parents by sending little Bobby home. People actually have the gall to wonder why there aren’t enough qualified teachers out there anymore….who the hell would want the job? We take a motivated, driven, young teacher, and then place the equivalent of a gag and handcuffs on them, and tell them to go forth and make a difference….we’re a nation of retards.

- Educational standards need to be reexamined and raised back up to the point that schools actually produce contributing members of society. The constant lowering of passing scores to artificially inflate the graduation rate of schools in this country is a disservice to everyone….EVERYONE. If little Bobby can’t pass an exam, then little Bobby needs to study harder, have his parents help him more, ASK for help from his teacher whom he’s supposed to respect, not attack…and after all that, if Bobby still can’t pass, he should be held back until he can, not pressed through hoping society will somehow absorb his dumb ass. Schools need to have the balls to be able to tell parents once more that little Bobby is a dumb ass if that actually is the case. They don’t need to sugarcoat it and say that he’s “minimally exceptional”, so as to delude the parents into thinking that their kid is going to be the next Stephen Hawking. If you don’t believe any of this, look around you…..we have a president that can’t pronounce words of the English language properly…so much so, he’s known for making them up from time to time. To borrow a concept from another post here, we have a nation full of “id” based morons that have guided society into believing that socially unacceptable behavior is cool, and being stupid is just hunky dory.

Yes….I’m angry about all of this. Not only do I have to watch most of general society disintegrate this way, but I also get to watch my own extended family go down the same path. I have step-nieces and nephews that are in their teens that feel they know everything, so they don’t need school anymore, don’t need their parents anymore, and have decided to move in with whatever ‘tard they’re currently humping. I have friends that have had to pull their kids from school and home school them because the district they live in now teaches some form of math that has no wrong answers. 2+2 no longer just equals 4, but it can also equal 3 sticks and an apple, 2 caterpillars and a flower, or any other combination thereof. Hell, they even get half credit if they made ANY attempt whatsoever. Gotta make sure the kids pass, even if they don’t know ANYTHING.

Until there is a major sociological shift in this country that returns to more objective thinking, and the use of common sense (God forbid)…we will continue to produce uncontrollable, self absorbed, ignorant, retards that will eventually run everything as they will be the majority.

I swear, it’s only 7am, and I’m already as annoyed as I can get today. I don’t think there is enough caffeine in the vending machine to send me into a stimulant based euphoria to get me through the day.

(Authored by Tim - he has been on a roll as of late ~Kat)

It’s an odd feeling when as the child you know you’re parents are going away for an extended trip, where they will be less likely to communicate with you for a long period of time. It’s funny as I’ve grown up in some respects the roles have changed from parents/child to child parenting the parents.

My sisters and I have often lamented upon the fact that while our parents can’t help but parent us, we as adult children have certain expectations of our parents. When they take a long road trip, we wait for those phone calls letting us know they have arrived at certain points along the way safe and secure, when they fail to call the three of us will call each other and ask, “Have you heard from mom and dad lately?” My youngest sister, to alleviate the worry and stress, added my parents to her cell phone plan, purchased them phones with the understanding they would keep them on. I can hear you chuckling at the fact that you KNOW my parents do not leave their phones on nor will they answer them unless they are expecting our call. It’s very frustrating to say the least.

I recently called to talk to my girlfriend Dianne, and while she was not available, I enjoyed a wonderful conversation with her father. We discussed this whole phenomenon of children now parenting their parents. He said to me more than once, as I mentioned the things that parents do to us kids, such as not answering calls, not checking in, not turning on the cell phones etc, that as he put it “Its hard for us old timers to remember or even figure out these new gadgets.” We had a good laugh as he put things into perspective from the parental aspect for me.

My parents are leaving tomorrow for a three week cruise, going from Florida through the Panama Canal back to Washington with several stops along the way. After spending a week with them visiting me, my sisters and I have made sure they are well prepared for what will happen along the way. From obtaining a preloaded visa card, to making sure they have secure travel pouches for their passports, to making sure my sister Becky has documents, in the off chance someone steals their id, and so on, the parenting skills the three of us girls have learned from them over the years are all popping out.

They fly out tomorrow morning and I’ve already chided my mom for not packing already, to remember her toothbrush and make sure she has a prepaid phone card to call home.

I know they will have a wonderful time on this cruise and they will be stopping in the Los Angeles area, so I’ll have a few hour visit before they continue on, I can’t help worry about their safety. Funny how those tables have turned!

Have a wonderful day!

Kat

So last night I called the local sheriffs station. It seems we have someone in our complex who feels that when there is a no parking zone it doesn’t pertain to them, when they are looking for street parking.

Our complex has assigned slips for each resident. If you have additional cars you end up having to park on a rather busy street. Unfortunately for us, because of this street parking we have a limited view of the busy main road when pulling out and this small amount of footage offered up by the ‘red zone’ gives us an additional site line of the oncoming traffic.

The other thing this person fails to realize, is that by parking in this zone, which also has a fire hydrant, IF the fire department were to show up for a house, car or any other kind of fire, with his vehicle there he hinders their access to this life saving measure, which could result in them putting the hose through his car windows.

What irritates me about this person is for the last 3 months he has felt that it’s his RIGHT to park there, never mind that by doing so he’s putting everyone at risk that live in this complex. This goes back to the posting about people believing their needs are more important the rest of the world.

So a couple of neighbors have decided to host a little campaign to stop the illegal parking of cars that put us at risk each and every day by parking in this red zone. A simple call to the back line of our local sheriffs station and quick conversation with the Sergeant on duty, will result in a drive by and ticket by a local deputy, though I hate to be the cause of additional paperwork for the deputy, I figure it’s less paperwork than an accident, should it occur.

While some might call this pissy behavior; however those who understand what the ‘red zone’ is about will also understand that this person seems to have an apparent disregard for those who are his neighbors.

So next time your in a hurry and looking for a spot to park your vehicle, remember your parking manners, don’t block a “red zone” as by doing so you might just put someone at risk.

Have a great day!

Kat

Growing up, whenever we took a family trip somewhere for the day, we girls would ask my dad “Can we go to McDonalds?” Dad had a standard answer that we dreaded, “We’re going to my favorite restaurant” he’d reply. You’d hear a collective groan from the lot of us and sometimes even my mother, because we all knew that Dad’s favorite restaurant was home to a meal he’d cook.

Now as an adult, I appreciate the multitude of reasons why we ate at home. The biggest being cost factor, my parents could feed a family of five for a lot less than it would cost to take the whole passel of us out to drive thru or a sit down restaurant, the other deciding factor was the food that Dad and sometimes Mom cooked was so much healthier for us.

So as I was cooking dinner the other night a thought struck me. I keep calling friends and family for various recipes that I love. So I’ve decided to just add a link to my blog called “The Recipe Box”.

I’ve included some of my favorites along with others that have been sent to me over the years. I know that cooking for ones self while it might seem like a chore, it’s so much better for you and more cost effective to.

I hope that you take sometime to enjoy some one on one time with your kitchen trying out the various recipes that I’ve posted.

If you have something you’d like to share please email it to me, I’ll give it a whirl and post it!

Happy Cooking

Kat

Since posting Sexual Predators vs Parents 101, I’ve had numerous emails and chats with people offering their opinions and points of view.

One of the best conversations regarding the posting was with a good friend, who is the father of a young boy; he also has worked around many child molesters in the course of his job.

While he agrees that I made several valid points with my initial post, he brought up an angle that I did not think about as I was posting the first time.

In his 14 years of experience working around child molesters, he has found that most have nothing more to say about it than it feels “right and normal” to them. While they understand that society views the interaction of an adult with a minor to be wrong, many will say differently when on film, television or in other media, hoping that this might bring them leniency, even though they feel as strongly about it being right, as any man would feel it’s right to have sex with his wife.

He’s also believes that a child molester can not be re-habilitated. As he pointed out, they have chemically castrated many a sexual predator only to have that person molest again. Chemical castration does not fix the urge that is sent from the brain, it only takes away the ability to have the penis function.

While I compared rehabilitation to being that of an addiction, he pointed out, that if it was an addiction than we could rehabilitate people to be a sexual orientation that we wished them to be. Society could no more rehabilitate him, a straight man, into being a homosexual than they can rehabilitate a child molester into fitting what society would deem to be acceptable.

This being said, he’s of the opinion that child molesters should not be allowed around, near or close to a child. That this offense is suitable for the death penalty, and yes I know this will upset many people, but this is his opinion and I value other people’s point of view on touchy subject matters.

His reasoning behind his feeling that this crime is suitable for such a drastic punishment is that many children who have suffered through child molestation, have life long issues and problems. Quite often they have issues with the law, as they turn to alternate and illegal means to mask the pain they carry. When I brought up the point that it’s often said that most who molest children were often times molested themselves as children, which to me could mean that it’s a learned behavior. He brought up another valid point. Not all children who are molested become child molesters, those who are need serious therapy to help them. It’s up to the individual to recognize certain bad feelings they may have and get help before they act upon them.

So my question to him was this, in essence some might be able to be rehabilitated if they are of the persuasion of being a victim of child molestation verses someone who is chemically wired that way?

His answer was, No, some of the children whom are victimized can be helped through treatment, and molesters themselves, he believes cannot be helped as they think it feels right. He feels that a child molester might feel love from it, power, or whatever they derive from the action of molesting. If one has been molested, and turns around to themselves molest, it’s his belief that it is too late to change their way of thinking. Help needed to come way before for those who are a victim of molestation and go on to molest children themselves.

He also believes that many molesters think of themselves as victims of the beliefs that society holds on what is right and wrong. He can’t imagine that any molester would think that molestation is legal, and knowing it’s illegal, they must know and understand that society finds it repulsive, so why would they molest unless they are driven by it feeling right in their own minds.

This conversation brought to light as I stated before an angle that I had not considered in regards to the rehabilitation of child molesters and those who prey on the young, be they girls or boys. I value his thoughts, opinions and experiences, on this subject matter, as both a father of a young boy and that as a professional who deals with those unsavory souls who most of polite society would not want cross paths with.

Kat

*please note that much of what was written came from my friend CEC during the course of our conversation and I took the liberty of using statements made by him during the course of our chat. He will be previewing this blog prior to my posting it for accuracy on his thoughts and opinions. ~Kat*